The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerceand Think Big Partners today announced that they are teaming up with H&R Block to host a new innovation and entrepreneurship conference later this year.

The all-day conference, which is a combination of two events — the Chamber's Innovation Conferenceand Think Big Kansas City — that were held separately last year, will be hosted by H&R Block and take place on June 20 at the H&R Block corporate headquarters building in downtown Kansas City, Mo. The mission of the conference is to help build the city of entrepreneurs, to provide startup inspiration for area entrepreneurs and to help foster innovation and creativity in Kansas City.

"There has never been a better time to host an innovation conference in Kansas City," Kristi Wyatt (below, left), the senior vice president of public policy and programs for the Chamber, said in a release. "With the implementation of Google Fiber, the efforts from the Kauffman Foundation, the presence of the UMKC Bloch School, the Big 5 initiatives and now this conference, we are truly fostering America's most entrepreneurial city."

The announcement follows on the heels of a pair of other announcements by the two organizations that are spearheading the new event. In September, as one of its "Big 5" initiatives for improving Kansas City over the next five years, the Chamber announced its aimof making Kansas City "America's most entrepreneurial city." In January, Think Big, which is an early-stage startup accelerator and mentorship-based collaborative network, announced the launch ofThink Big Nation, the umbrella under which Think Big Partners' more robust raft of operations will function.   

"This innovation conference is just the first step toward making Kansas City a part of the Think Big Nation," Herb Sih (above, right), the managing partner and co-founder of Think Big, said in the release. "We believe that by collaborating with other entrepreneurial organizations, seizing local, regional and national opportunities and serving more Midwestern entrepreneurs, we can identify more great ideas, grow more profitable companies and create more jobs in Kansas City."

In order to foster community involvement, the Chamber and Think Big are encouraging people to submit name ideas for the innovation and entrepreneur conference. Names should be submitted via the KC2012 website by March 2. The official name will be selected by the event's organizers, and the winner of the naming contest will receive a free ticket for the life of the conference, plus other prizes.

The conference is also seeking leaders in the Kansas City business community to get involved through sponsorship or speaker opportunities. Those interested in participating can visit the event's website or call 816-842-5244.

Kansas City innovation conference to be held June 20, 2012 at H&R Block corporate headquarters.

The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and Think Big Partners are teaming up with H&R Block to host an innovation and entrepreneurship conference and are seeking the community’s help in naming the conference.

The all-day conference, formerly known as the Chamber’s Innovation Conference and Think Big Kansas City will be hosted by H&R Block and will take place on June 20th, 2012, at the H&R Block corporate headquarters building in downtown Kansas City. The mission of the conference is to help build the city of entrepreneurs, to provide startup inspiration for area entrepreneurs and to help foster innovation and creativity in Kansas City.

“There has never been a better time to host an innovation conference in Kansas City,” said Kristi Wyatt, Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Programs for the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. “With the implementation of Google Fiber, the efforts from the Kauffman Foundation, the presence of the UMKC Bloch School, the Big 5 initiatives and now this conference, we are truly fostering America’s most entrepreneurial city.”

This premiere conference for innovators and entrepreneurs allows for creative minds to come together under one roof to celebrate innovation and entrepreneurship, build the Kansas City startup scene, and find motivation and inspiration to turn ideas into something big.

“This innovation conference is just the first step toward making Kansas City a part of the Think Big Nation,” said Herb Sih, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Think Big Partners. “We believe that by collaborating with other entrepreneurial organizations, seizing local, regional and national opportunities and serving more Midwestern entrepreneurs, we can identify more great ideas, grow more profitable companies and create more jobs in Kansas City.”

In order to foster community involvement, the Kansas City Chamber and Think Big Partners are asking innovators, entrepreneurs and creative minds to submit name ideas for the innovation and entrepreneur conference. To participate, names should be submitted via the KC2012 website by March 2, 2012. The official name will be selected by the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and Think Big Partners. The winner of the naming contest will receive a free ticket for the life of the conference as well as other prizes.

Kansas City’s newest innovation conference is also looking for other leaders in the Kansas City business community to get involved through sponsorship or speaker opportunities. To learn more about getting involved, please visit http://www.kc2012.com or call (816) 842.5244.

About the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce 
The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce is the area’s oldest and only regional chamber of commerce, serving both Kansas and Missouri companies throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area. Founded in 1887, 2,500 companies and organizations belong to The Chamber, including most of the community’s major employers.

The Chamber’s mission is twofold: to provide responsive and committed leadership that builds a vibrant and thriving community and to assist members in growing businesses. For more information, visithttp://www.kcchamber.com.

About Think Big Partners 
Think Big Partners is an early-stage startup accelerator and mentorship-based collaborative network located in Kansas City, Missouri. Think Big Partners has successfully launched or grown over 100 successful companies with its creation of coworking spaces, entrepreneurial conferences, essential services, startup resources and funding. To learn more about Think Big Partners, please visit http://www.thinkbigpartners.com.

The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce andThink Big Partners are teaming up with H&R Block to host an innovation and entrepreneurship conference and are seeking the community’s help in naming the conference.

The all-day conference, formerly known as the Chamber’s Innovation Conference and Think Big Kansas City will be hosted by H&R Block and will take place on June 20th, 2012, at the H&R Block corporate headquarters building in downtown Kansas City. The mission of the conference is to help build the city of entrepreneurs, to provide startup inspiration for area entrepreneurs and to help foster innovation and creativity in Kansas City.

“There has never been a better time to host an innovation conference in Kansas City,” said Kristi Wyatt, Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Programs for the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. “With the implementation of Google Fiber, the efforts from the Kauffman Foundation, the presence of the UMKC Bloch School, the Big 5 initiatives and now this conference, we are truly fostering America’s most entrepreneurial city.”

This premiere conference for innovators and entrepreneurs allows for creative minds to come together under one roof to celebrate innovation and entrepreneurship, build the Kansas City startup scene, and find motivation and inspiration to turn ideas into something big.

“This innovation conference is just the first step toward making Kansas City a part of the Think Big Nation,” said Herb Sih, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Think Big Partners. “We believe that by collaborating with other entrepreneurial organizations, seizing local, regional and national opportunities and serving more Midwestern entrepreneurs, we can identify more great ideas, grow more profitable companies and create more jobs in Kansas City.”

In order to foster community involvement, the Kansas City Chamber and Think Big Partners are asking innovators, entrepreneurs and creative minds to submit name ideas for the innovation and entrepreneur conference. To participate, names should be submitted via the KC2012 website by March 2, 2012. The official name will be selected by the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and Think Big Partners. The winner of the naming contest will receive a free ticket for the life of the conference as well as other prizes.

Kansas City’s newest innovation conference is also looking for other leaders in the Kansas City business community to get involved through sponsorship or speaker opportunities. To learn more about getting involved, please visit http://www.kc2012.com or call (816) 842.5244.

About the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce 
The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce is the area’s oldest and only regional chamber of commerce, serving both Kansas and Missouri companies throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area. Founded in 1887, 2,500 companies and organizations belong to The Chamber, including most of the community’s major employers.

The Chamber’s mission is twofold: to provide responsive and committed leadership that builds a vibrant and thriving community and to assist members in growing businesses. For more information, visithttp://www.kcchamber.com.

About Think Big Partners 
Think Big Partners is an early-stage startup accelerator and mentorship-based collaborative network located in Kansas City, Missouri. Think Big Partners has successfully launched or grown over 100 successful companies with its creation of coworking spaces, entrepreneurial conferences, essential services, startup resources and funding. To learn more about Think Big Partners, please visit http://www.thinkbigpartners.com.

Think Big Partners has been invited into the Microsoft BizSpark Plus global network and will provide its startups with $60,000 worth of cloud services on Windows Azure.

Think Big Partners, a technology-focused startup accelerator and mentorship-based collaborative coworking space for entrepreneurs, and Microsoft BizSpark Plus have collaborated to offer startups $60,000 in cloud services on the new Windows Azure program.

BizSpark Plus is an extension of the Microsoft BizSpark program, designed to accelerate the success of startups around the world. The program works through select incubators and accelerators such as Think Big Partners to provide value-added products and services to high-potential startups. The BizSpark Plus package will provide startups up to $60,000 of compute and storage per startup for up to two years.

Microsoft BizSpark has selected Think Big Partners among 40 other incubators and accelerators to become a part of its BizSpark Plus Partners global network and will provide exceptional Microsoft offers to the high-growth startups undergoing the Think Big accelerator process. The 40 accelerators and incubators involved in this program have been chosen by Microsoft based on their ability to attract and work with world-class startups. Over time, Microsoft plans to extend additional offers to startups through the BizSpark Plus Partners.

"We are excited about this opportunity," said Herb Sih, Co-Founder of Think Big Partners. "Microsoft BizSpark is a valuable and proven technology solution for entrepreneurs and startups when they need it most. In addition, BizSpark Plus has given Think Big Partners the opportunity to be faster and smarter when it comes to building profitable companies."

Think Big Partners has worked with high-growth tech startups from across the nation that use cloud computing services. According to TechStars, cloud applications are driving the new startup ecosystem and provide startups the ability to drive user adoption, scale their businesses and generate financial returns faster than ever before. Windows Azure will offer a simple and powerful platform for the creation of Web applications and services.

By providing Windows Azure, Microsoft and Think Big Partners hope to help startups grow their businesses by offsetting cloud computing costs so that they can focus their efforts on other business challenges including research, development, investment and promotion. For more information about the BizSpark Plus program, please visit http://www.microsoft.com/bizspark/plus.

About Think Big Partners 
Think Big Partners is an early-stage startup accelerator and mentorship-based collaborative network located in Kansas City, Missouri. Think Big Partners has successfully advised, launched or grown over 100 successful companies with its creation of coworking spaces, entrepreneurial conferences, essential services, startup resources and funding. To learn more about Think Big Partners, please visit http://www.thinkbigpartners.com.

About Microsoft 
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mpx.

It’s not THAT often when successful presentation tips can make a 6-figure financial difference in your career, but that was the case recently in Kansas City. I attended the Gigabit Challenge Finale in Kansas City recently where 17 finalists (individuals or teams) made the last presentation pitch for winning $450,000 in cash and services. Organized by Think Big Partners, the Gigabit Challenge was a global competition centered on the prospects for taking advantage of the Google Fiber initiative under development in Kansas City.

While I admired the creative ideas and hard work that the Gigabit Challenge finalists demonstrated, the PowerPoint presentations were, for the most part, underwhelming.

Presenters faced a panel of 17 contest judges (mostly from the legal and financial worlds), another 250 members of the live audience, and an online audience that averaged about that same number. Each presenter had ten minutes to present their idea and five minutes for questions from the contest judges.

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On January 23, Sen. Moran spoke on the Senate floor about his role as the lead Senate Republican in opposition to PIPA, the importance of innovation, and the Startup Act. America is a country of innovation that was founded on freedom and opportunity. Sen. Moran believes we can jump-start the economy through the creation and growth of new businesses.